During the latest Minecraft Live event, players finally received the news we've been wanting to hear for years: Minecraft is getting a much-needed facelift.
It took far too long, but Mojang Studios finally unveiled the "Vibrant Visuals" upgrade for Minecraft, the first step in a multi-phase plan to give us the future of Minecraft today.
There's so much anticipation built up behind this update that it's no surprise a lot of people have burning questions they're dying to have answered.
Fortunately, I've compiled all the information we currently have on the Vibrant Visuals upgrade for Minecraft, including a series of side-by-side comparisons to show you the major differences.
Here's everything you need to know about Minecraft's Vibrant Visuals, including when you can expect it, where it's going to release, and exactly what's changing.
What is the Minecraft "Vibrant Visuals" upgrade?
Minecraft "Vibrant Visuals" was one of three updates announced for the best-selling, legendary survival-crafting game during Minecraft Live on Mar. 22, 2025.
While the other two Minecraft game drops announced during the show focus on new content and improvements, Vibrant Visuals is all about overhauling the game's graphics for modern devices.
Following years of cancellations, undisclosed delays, broken promises, and misrepresentations, Mojang Studios is finally delivering a comprehensive visual upgrade for Minecraft, and it's apparently just the first step to realizing the studio's vision for the game.
Hopefully arriving in the next few months, the Vibrant Visuals update is expected to deliver enhanced textures, directional lighting, volumetric fog, more precise grid-mapped shadows, upgraded reflections, and more.
Keep reading for side-by-side comparisons, followed by a complete FAQ answering all the most important questions you may have.
Minecraft Vibrant Visuals upgrade: Side-by-side comparisons
Our first comparison takes us into a jungle canyon, with the meandering river and deep green cliffsides adorned with copper-and-wood constructions, including a boat.
This comparison does a great job showing the new dynamic lighting, which dramatically affects exposure and texture appearance from light to dark areas. Vibrant Visuals make this scene look considerably less flat, and the river beautifully reflects the overhead sun and clouds, too.
Our next scene takes place elsewhere in the jungle, with dark trees and tall bamboo shoots lining a broad shore.
The greatest strength of this comparison is absolutely the upgraded lighting and reflections, with the sunlight dancing across the more dimensional water. This comparison highlights how the more dynamic exposure can affect the clarity of distant objects, but the scene as a whole boasts more depth.
Now we head to the badlands, with the deep orange, browns, and reds of the clay cliffs backing the water in the forefront.
While it's tempting to focus on the reflections on the water again, for me this comparison is most striking because of the more vibrant hues of the badlands and the dramatic effect of the new volumetric fog on the distant cliffs in the background.
We leave the greens and browns behind with this comparison, which sees us head to the ice spires biome.
What's normally a really flat, boring biome is now a lot more dynamic with Vibrant Visuals. Despite warmer hues overall, the ice somehow feels colder, and the updated, more saturated sky and reflections on the ice make a big impact.
Finally, we have what's probably my favorite comparison. Plains transitioning into a cherry grove provides a great contrast between open and closed areas, giving Vibrant Visuals a chance to show its strengths.
The horizon is now bathed in volumetric fog rather than simply fading into the distance; the directional lighting creates a more distinct divide between day and night, faraway reflections create distance and space in the world, and the variations of shadow and color contrast the opposing biomes. It's a beautiful scene.
Minecraft Vibrant Visuals upgrade: Frequently asked questions
You can enjoy some more official screenshots of Minecraft's Vibrant Visuals above, and below I'll answer the most frequently asked questions regarding the update, including when you can expect it and how you'll be able to access it.
If you have any other questions, be sure to drop them in the comments, and I'll do my best to get them answered!
When does the Minecraft Vibrant Visuals update release?
Best answer: Within the coming months.
Mojang Studios hasn't provided a definitive release date for the Vibrant Visuals upgrade, yet, but we do know to expect the update within the next few months.
Considering Mojang showed off the Vibrant Visuals alongside the second confirmed game drop of the year (featuring new Ghast variants), it's reasonable to assume the two updates will arrive around the same time, so I'd speculate 3-4 months from now.
What devices will support Minecraft's Vibrant Visuals?
Best answer: An undisclosed list of "compatible devices."
We do know that Vibrant Visuals is coming to Minecraft: Bedrock Edition first, and we do know that there will be a list of "compatible devices" that will support Vibrant Visuals, but we don't have details on the latter.
It's unclear at the moment what the system requirements will be for Vibrant Visuals, but I fully expect most modern devices like Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5|5 Pro, Windows PCs, and more powerful mobile Android/iOS devices to support the update.
Fortunately, devices that won't support Vibrant Visuals are in no way being left behind — Vibrant Visuals is an optional graphical toggle, but won't affect the normal content support cycle for Minecraft.
Will the Vibrant Visuals update come to Minecraft: Java Edition?
Best answer: Yes, but after it comes to Bedrock Edition.
The Vibrant Visuals update is coming to Minecraft: Bedrock Edition first, which is the universal version of Minecraft that spans Windows PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS.
Mojang Studios has confirmed that the original Minecraft: Java Edition on Windows PC, macOS, and Linux will get Vibrant Visuals in the future, but that update will happen sometime after the initial release.
The Bedrock Edition is built on the flexible, modern Bedrock Engine and its RenderDragon backend, which likely makes it much easier for Mojang to incorporate new graphical tech and upgraded visuals than the older, legacy Java Edition.
Admittedly, it's significantly easier for Java Edition players to customize Minecraft with shaders and texture packs, but we hopefully won't have to wait too long for the official Vibrant Visuals solution.
Do Minecraft's Vibrant Visuals use ray tracing?
Best answer: No, Vibrant Visuals is separate from Minecraft with RTX on Windows PC.
One of the largest sources of discontent surrounding upgraded visuals in Minecraft has been Minecraft with RTX, a years-old version of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on Windows PC that enables ray-traced visuals with supported NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs.
Minecraft with RTX feels like little more than a technical demo at this point, but drew controversy when Microsoft used it to showcase ray tracing on Xbox Series X|S before the console released.
Since then, players expected Minecraft to be optimized for Xbox Series X|S (and possibly PS5) to enable ray tracing, but that never surfaced despite leaked experimental features, hidden mentions in the Minecraft backend, and inconsistent messaging from Mojang Studios.
The Vibrant Visuals update is not this, however. While the lighting enjoys the greatest upgrade, it's not using ray tracing. At this point, it's safe to assume we'll never see a wider release of ray-traced Minecraft, or at least not for a very long time.
On the other hand, this means Vibrant Visuals should be supported on far more devices.
How do I enable Minecraft's Vibrant Visuals?
Best answer: It should be a simple toggle within Minecraft's settings.
When the Vibrant Visuals update releases, it'll be an optional toggle that players can enable or disable as they choose.
You'll be able to access Vibrant Visuals in the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition settings, and can use it as you please (or don't please).
If you love Vibrant Visuals, you don't have to worry about enabling it affecting your ability to play Minecraft or access your worlds on any of your devices, even those that don't support the graphical upgrade. Yes, Vibrant Visuals will also be backward compatible with older worlds.
Vibrant Visuals will also run entirely locally, and won't be server-side. That means it's player-independent — even if you enable Vibrant Visuals in your online multiplayer world, other players can toggle it as they please without any other players being affected.
Does the Minecraft Vibrant Visuals update affect gameplay?
Best answer: No, Minecraft's gameplay won't be affected at all.
The Vibrant Visuals update is purely, well, visual — it won't impact any of Minecraft's gameplay systems or mechanics.
Upgrades to shadows, lighting, and reflections won't affect where hostile mobs spawn or are afflicted by sunlight, for example, nor will the function of light sensors change.
While some may argue that the differences in contrast and draw distance may affect your gameplay experience, Minecraft will fundamentally be the exact same with or without Vibrant Visuals (and this will apply to future content updates, as well).
Are Minecraft's Vibrant Visuals a shader or texture pack?
Best answer: Technically, no.
You can alter Minecraft's appearance today through texture packs (official and unofficial) and third-party shaders, especially on Minecraft: Java Edition. The former swaps textures to completely change the art design of Minecraft, while the latter can also change lighting, shadows, and reflections at the render level while playing the game.
The Vibrant Visuals upgrade isn't quite either. For one, it's an official, deeply integrated feature for Minecraft that will reside in the settings, and should be far less taxing on your system than the majority of shaders. It also won't impact your gameplay or be impacted by future updates or official servers.
It may behave similarly, and players may achieve similar effects on their own, but Vibrant Visuals are inherently different.
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